Photo by Michael Brosilow
Steel Magnolias - Milwaukee Rep
Maeve Moynihan, Tami Workentin, Phoebe González, Rebecca Hirota, Janet Ulrich Brooks and Meg Thalke
It’s a woman’s world in Steel Magnolias, the charming and highly entertaining comedy drama that opened the Rep’s Powerhouse Stage last weekend—the first after a 19-month pandemic hiatus. This engaging production is a great way to (finally) welcome back audiences to live theater.
To laugh. To cry. But in the end, to realize that these six women of the South are as genteel and delicate as a blooming magnolia, but as tough and resilient as unbending steel when it comes to what life throws in their way.
Robert Harling’s 1987 play is based on the experience of his sister’s death. That’s where the drama comes in. But the two-and-a-half-hour production (with 20-minute intermission) has so many wonderful comedic moments, that it’s a tribute to his writing that he achieves such a skillful balance. Add in a top-notch cast and accomplished direction and it’s a good reason to be back sitting with others and entertained once again.
This “woman’s world” is set in a small Southern town and, in particular, an in-home beauty parlor run by Truvy (Rebecca Hirota). She hires on a young woman with a mysterious past, Annelle (Maeve Moynihan). Truvy’s Beauty Spot is a regular hangout for the mayor’s widow Clairee (Tami Workentin), M’Lynn (Janet Ulrich Brooks), her daughter Shelby (Phoebe Gonzalez) and their next door neighbor, Ouiser (Meg Thalken). The six bicker and joke and laugh amid their beauty treatments while discussing a popular topic that remains unseen throughout: men.
Caring and Sharing
We learn that it’s Shelby’s wedding day, her father and mother are constantly at odds with each other, Truvy’s husband is a couch potato, Clairee is widowed, and so on. Harling gives us great insight into the caring and sharing of this band of sisters as they grapple with these relationships amid good news (pregnancy) and the other kind (serious illness).
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Director Laura Braza has given Steel Magnolias a comfortable, cozy feel that captures the intimacy of true friendships while showcasing how tragedy can be dealt with and moved forward through those friendships. It’s a testament to the ensemble of six that this production works so well, so smoothly like a fresh coat of nail polish. They are a delight to watch, be it the humorous moments, of which there are many, or the tragic occurrences. And each is completely believable in their roles, creating a synergy of a delicate strength.
We all know the phrase, “there’s no place like home.” And in Steel Magnolias, there’s no place like an in-home beauty parlor to call “home.”
Steel Magnolias runs through Dec. 5 in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. For tickets, call 414-224-1761 or visit milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/steel-magnolias/
